Revelation [A Yu-Gi-Oh! Fanfic]

9. You

Satsuki stared at the Eye — and it stared back. Pale moonlight from her window dulled its rich shine, but its warmth was still palpable, cascading down the pillow cradling it and stretching like fingers across the bed to where Satsuki sat, knees drawn up to her chin. She thought about reaching back; perhaps even speaking to it, in the hopes of finding the answers she sought. But she also feared what it might say if she did. Even without words, the Item seemed to radiate with infinite, pervading wisdom. It told of all the awesome, beautiful, terrible things it had seen; all the pain it had caused and the miracles it had made real.

Satsuki knew if she were to open her heart to these truths, there would be no going back. She would no longer be able to ignore the presence in her soul; the gravitational pull which had knocked her out of her slow, comfortable orbit and sent her into freefall. As much as she had enjoyed the initial rush of it, she didn't want to know what sort of crater would be left behind if she allowed herself to hit the ground.

So with a sharp sigh, she rose up and swiped the Eye from her pillowcase, then crossed the room to her bureau and carefully stowed it inside her jewelry drawer. She stared at it for a moment, then slowly eased the drawer closed again, listening to the dull thump of the Item rolling into the front panel.

When she looked up at the mirror, her heart nearly stopped.

Once again, Satsuki found herself face to face with her ancient reflection, only this time it was so much more. The visitor stood over her shoulder, clearly apart from her, and yet her perfect mirror image in almost every way — the same clothes, the same posture, the same hair — except that her face was etched with soft and regal serenity, whereas Satsuki's was tight with fear.

She spun around, reeling from the woman's brilliant aura. Whatever fear Satsuki felt at being in her presence was quickly eclipsed by pure, euphoric wonder. Through some miracle, she dared to take another step, then another, and another, until they could have reached out and embraced one another as sisters.

The visitor said nothing; simply folded her hands together over her middle and smiled.

"You—" Satsuki breathed, her skin bristling with that familiar warmth. "You're ... the queen."

The woman's smile grew. "Please. Call me Satiah."

In that moment, it felt like Satsuki had known the name her whole life — like she couldn't remember ever not knowing it. After a quivering breath, she whispered, "Satiah."

The spirit gave a pleased nod, then turned and gestured to the bed beside her. "Come, dear. Sit with me."

While a moment ago Satsuki had been determined to resist this meteoric pull, now there seemed no use in fighting it. Her legs moved of their own accord, her body drawn willingly into the spirit's radiance, where they both lowered themselves onto the bed in near-perfect sync. The queen — Satiah — reached out her translucent hands and covered both of Satsuki's where they lay limp in her lap. The soft weight of them felt both infinite and microscopic.

Questions bubbled up from the depths of Satsuki's heart, but her numb tongue failed to form words, leaving them to float out of the top of her head like steam in the cold. She bit down hard on her lip, then whispered the only words left rattling around in her mind: "Am I ... you?"

"No, my dear," Satiah replied. "Far from it."

"But I can feel your will," Satsuki said quickly, thinking about how fierce and excitable she'd been these past few weeks. "You made me do things I would never do."

A glint flashed in the queen's eyes, but she shook her head assuredly. "I merely gave you a push."

"That's not really why you're here, though ... is it?"